Bearing Witness Gaza is an ongoing creative grief-processing practice combining art and elements of nature. Please come share virtual space with us at a challenging time for our joint humanity and hear from a local artist about her practice. To process and cope with the immense emotions that arose as a response to the escalating civilian suffering in Gaza, she turned to nature and the technique of chlorophyll printing. She will share how applying the images of Gaza to fresh leaves has allowed her to process and find her own humanity and resilience amid her grief and sorrow. Look for a hands-on chlorophyll printing workshop on May 17 led by the same artist.
Native sedges are garnering attention for their versatility and ecological impact in the landscape. These herbaceous perennials—primarily in the genus Carex—shine as alternatives to mulch, turfgrass, and aggressive groundcovers, especially in shady conditions. They provide food, shelter, and nesting material for wildlife. Learn about the roles they play and the benefits they offer. You’ll come away knowing which species are well-adapted to our region and will help you build beautiful, ecologically sound landscapes.
Spend your lunch hour getting to know some of the best go-to plants for building ecologically sound landscapes. In the Native Plant Solutions series, we take a deep dive into a handful of specific native plants, focusing on a landscape situation or plant adaptation that makes them particularly helpful. This session addresses the challenge of what to plant on slopes. Most of us garden on sites that aren’t flat. We deal with hills, ditches, banks, ridges, and all the ups and downs that come with them. It’s physically more difficult to work on them, and they’re particularly vulnerable to erosion when rainfall going downhill gathers speed and volume. What plants work best on slopes? In this session, we’ll discuss objectives for managing slopes and connect them to plant attributes that fulfill those objectives. The plants you choose are part of a larger community on which native fauna and flora rely. Learn how to approach slopes as an opportunity to improve function and add ecological benefits without sacrificing aesthetics.
Join ComMotion for a virtual exploration of spring in Duke Gardens designed to get your body moving. Music will guide our attention to the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. We will perform simple movements for all abilities inspired by the Gardens, stretching our bodies and relaxing our minds.
